Distant Memories
Story and Photography: Richard Souza
Distant memories… we all have them. They are born from experiences… pleasant and not. Over time they get lost or forgotten within the clutter of our minds. Some distant memories are to be forgotten, for the pain is too much to bear. Choosing to remember the good, we desperately search for that visual trigger that will bring these memories back to life.
Sitting quietly at home in our quarantined world I sift through endless photos of airshows and events that in the last year alone created a megapixel jam of unprocessed work. For me, editing work has always been more than just processing an image. There has to be a connection, a theme, or a story. It requires hammering away through cerebral granite. I dig and chip away, piece after piece, layer after layer until it becomes a story worth telling. After digging for months, I tap and hear the sound of the treasure trove of distant memories. Click… click the file opens and my memory is triggered by the image of a T-6 Texan and a Naval Aircraft Company N3N biplane. With one fell swoop of my arm, I cleared the table and my schedule, no interruptions, no distractions, and I began to think.
Early in 2019, I was invited by my friend, and the event Director of Warbirds Over the West, Bryan Heim, to cover the event as media at the historic World War II McNary Field in Salem, Oregon. This annual event is hosted by the B-17 Alliance Foundation and the non-profit uses the event to raise funds for their museum and the full restoration of a B-17 Flying Fortress known as the “Lacy Lady”. When Bryan called and invited me to the event, I was quickly told that, while there will be a few warbirds in attendance, this wasn’t “technically” an airshow. It was more of a general fly in or gathering of vintage aircraft. The call ended with the statement “You will have a lot of fun, you will see”.
What does one say when this event was scheduled the week after Thunder Over Michigan and the largest gathering of F4U Corsairs of the modern era? You say the obvious… “Unfortunately, I am not sitting on a pile of gold, nor have I been given millions by a former Nigerian Government Official, so I regret that Full Disc Aviation will have to go to Thunder without me… Bryan… count me in”.
I boarded the plane bound for Oregon and found my seat. Wedged between two strangers, I looked to the window seat in front as the evening sun peeked through. The rays illuminated my thoughts. I put my headphones on and took off to a place where I could ponder. It then dawned on me… I gave up an airshow, with the mother of all line ups, for a fly in… What was I thinking? … the more I thought, the more I became comfortably numb.
It was somewhere between the Cork and Kerry Mountains that I realized, I have been chasing airshows; and for many years now. I am at the point where it is no longer the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds that will get me out of bed in the morning. Believe it or not, it is no longer the F-22 or the F-35 or any of the countless other aircraft on static display that jazzes me to do it one more time. So, why was I on that plane, sitting between Weird and Gilly? The answer to that question came as the riffs of Carlos “Diablo” Santana congealed into Corazon Espinado. The rhythm filtered down to my soul and the energy raced through my veins. It wasn’t an airshow, it wasn’t even photographing aircraft that was going to energize these old bones, it was the search and experience of the unknown.
The unknown began to reveal itself by the end of the first day. You never want the unknown to be where am I going to sleep tonight? I never met a good plan that bats 1000. I was supposed to have stayed at an Airbnb graciously provided by Warbirds Over the West, however, due to a minor mix up, Bryan asked if I wouldn’t mind staying with him at the home of a museum volunteer. I’m a team player, give me a sliver of real estate 6ft x 2ft, a shower and I will call it a day.
The sun's light must have been somewhere over Montana when we arrived at Salem, Oregon’s McNary Field. It wasn’t until the sun inched further away from Idaho that the beautiful colors began to peek through the horizon. A hot air balloon added to the spectacle, flames shooting out of the burner and filling the envelope with a warm glow. The timing was right, and the hot air balloon lifted as the sunrise was in full bloom. Daylight revealed Soaring by the Sea’s PBY-5A Catalina, The Erickson Collection’s Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, a 1943 T-6 Texan trainer and a 1943 Naval Aircraft Company N3N biplane.
There was still room for other aircraft like Ken Schmitt’s Oshkosh Silver Wrench award winning fully restored combat veteran 1945 Piper L-4J and Wayne Cartwright’s AT-6G Texan nicknamed “Sixshooter”. Looking across the ramp I saw these most bizarre looking vehicles they called “Ratrods". By that point, I could hear Pink Floyd playing in my head… “hello, hello, hello… is there anybody in there” … is this what I rolled the dice for? Lesson number one, never judge a book by its cover.
Lesson number two, when you're told to be at the pilot briefing in a set place and at a set time, make sure you are not distracted by an Oregon National Guard chopper pilot talking about the maneuvering characteristics of a Blackhawk. Lucky for me, Bryan was giving the briefing and was able to cover for my minor distraction. A while later Bryan caught up with me, what did I miss? Bryan informed me that I would be going up in the rear seat of the T-6 for an air to air mission with Erickson’s FM-2 Wildcat and later in the afternoon in the N3N to shoot the T-6. Then I got the look… “You think you can be there?”
The sure way to never be late, is to show up early. So, ahead of the scheduled take off time, I set up camp between the N3N and the T-6. As I looked at these two aircraft, I could not help but notice the distinctive liveries. The N3N was not painted in the traditional United States Navy yellow but instead, it sports a unique red white and blue patriotic color scheme. The T-6 is painted in the livery of the South African Air Force. I think I should rephrase that, this T-6 STILL HAS the livery of the South African Air Force, where the aircraft last served until retired in 1997. The significance of this would not hit me until later.
I was introduced to the two young owners/pilots Kyle Bushman (in his N3N) and Bryan Harper (in his Texan). It was evident that these two young pilots were no strangers to one another. The camaraderie they displayed and their infectious smiles, energized all those who were there watching. I have been around enough pilots to know that their blood type was A(viation). While pilots can be easy going and fun folks to be around, it is a side that they do not normally reveal to the airshow public. That was not the case here, and might I remind you that this wasn’t an airshow. The barrel of smoke oil that Kyle had stored behind the N3N was labeled “EPA Approved Dinosaur Bones,” I think that says it all.
Despite their youthful appearance, these two cloud surfers are no aviation novices. They are skilled pilots that began honing their craft at an early age and have made names for themselves in this neck of the woods and beyond. Besides being linked to aviation professionally, they also enjoy sharing their passion for aviation with others at events like Warbirds Over the West. That weekend they were there, not only so that spectators could get a glimpse of vintage warbirds, but also to give volunteers and sponsors a rare chance to dance in the clouds over Oregon. But not all the moments shared that weekend were up in the air.
In between flights, I would do my walk arounds, looking for that different angle, or unique shot. As I locked my lens on the T-6 with the special livery, I heard a voice beside me say… “I haven’t seen one like this in a long time”. My spidey senses detected an accent, I looked to my side and saw the author of those words. The tall thin Gentleman looked at the Texan, looked at me and said, “I used to work on these when I was with the South African Air Force”. My response was “You got to be kidding me?” I extended my hand and introduced myself to my new acquaintance Olaf Paulsen.
Still shaking my head, I knew I needed to introduce Olaf to the aircraft owner, Bryan Harper. When I did, the faces of both men lit up, almost like kids. This T-6 Texan brought these two men together that in a different time and different place, would not have been allowed to bond. Bryan opened the cockpit to Olaf and invited the Veteran in to sit and reminisce. The smile on Olaf’s face was one of a man who had just found a long-lost friend.
My time had come, I was fortunate to be able to fly in both the T-6 and N3N that weekend. I am not going to bore you with the details of what it was like to fly in these vintage aircraft, but instead, I want to tell you about some of the special moments I experienced and witnessed that August weekend.
To tell this story I need to dial back the clock, it was in 2018 that my friend and host, Bryan Heim, approached Kyle Bushman with the idea of giving a longtime B-17 Alliance Museum veteran volunteer and friend Ole Olsen a ride in his N3N. Kyle was only quick to oblige. Following that flight, Bryan made it a point to complete the circle by getting Ole up in the T-6 and his lovely wife Corrine in the N3N, the same plane Ole flew in just a year before. Bryan laid out the surprise plan and it was my job to go up in the N3N and photograph Ole’s flight. This was a mission that I accepted without reservations.
I was strapped in the biplane as Ole climbed in the back of the Texan. Bryan Harper went over the startup procedures of the T-6 with Ole just as Kyle did with me in the N3N. Once buckled, Ole looked over and gave me a wave and a big smile. Before I knew it, the radial engines spun to life.
We taxied down to the end of the runway and waited for tower clearance. The young pilots did the final engine and systems checks throwing each other a thumbs up, we were good to go. I knew that the Texan was taking off behind us, so I figured that I was going to enjoy the ride before we rendezvoused, and duty called. After a few minutes of open cockpit flight time, I figured I should begin to acquire the target. I looked around for the Texan, but I couldn’t seem to find it. I scanned up, down, left and right. I twisted myself around to try to catch a glimpse of the distinctive South African Air Force livery. I can only imagine what it must have been like to scan the skies for enemy aircraft during combat. As I looked to my left, I heard the click of the mic and Kyle telling me to look to my right. I turned my head and my eyes must have popped out of my skull. Bryan was positioned perfectly by our side, just a stone’s throw away.
The sound of the shutter got lost in the wind, but I knew the frame count was going up quickly. Zoom in, zoom out, lean back, lean forward… whoa that’s too much. Kyle advised that I would experience very little wind as long as I didn’t lean too far out. In all the excitement I kind of forgot and the edge of my camera lens crossed the envelope. The wind buffeted the camera and as one might expect, those shots were not keepers.
Flying in close formation over the beautiful Oregon countryside, everyone up there had a job. Bryan and Kyle kept the aircraft steady as she goes. It was my job to record the moment… and Ole?... well it was his job to just sit back and enjoy the ride, this was his time. As I zoomed in on his smile, I had no doubt that Ole was doing a great job. I don’t recall how many shots I popped off but Bryan and Kyle held the formation together for what seemed an eternity. I am thankful for that. Sometimes we are so focused on what we are doing that we don’t smell the coffee. I put down the camera and enjoyed the final moments of the formation. Bryan had this serious focused look on his face. I looked at him, raised my fingers to my temple and made the “mind blowing” motion. Bryan just smiled, he knew what I was saying and what I was feeling, no words were needed. When we landed, all attention was on the T-6 and Ole Olsen. Waiting for him was his lovely wife Corinne, family and friends. I managed to free myself from the biplane in time to get the post flight shots.
Later that day, it was Corinne’s turn to climb into the cockpit of the N3N. The biplane’s engine again came to life. When the wheel chalks were moved, Kyle guided his aircraft toward the runway. Ole stood there amongst the crowd, beaming as he waved at his sweetheart. As the N3N rolled down the runway, Kyle spared no expense. Smoke on and Go! The Olsen family experience had come full circle.
As the weekend came to an end, Bryan Heim, Jessica Murdoch, Robert Baughman and I sat looking out on an airfield that was hustling and bustling just a few short hours before. All that remained was a PBY Catalina and a Frankensteinish looking Ratrod. As we stood there looking out over the airfield, I was able to express my thoughts on The B-17 Alliance Museum’s Warbirds Over the West. It embodied the spirit of aviation and brought people together under the umbrella of aviation passion. But I couldn’t leave without saying one more thing.
If you recall, I was given a roof and a place to lay my head that weekend, the B-17 Alliance Museum volunteers that opened their home to me were Ole and Corrine Olsen. Their simplicity, and kindness was exactly what I experienced at this little fly in event. They embodied the spirit exhibited by that army of museum volunteers, pilots and owners. As I stood on the tarmac photographing the event, Ole walked up to me and shook my hand. As I felt the firm grip, I realized there was something between our palms. I turned my hand over and in my palm was a small little B-17 flying fortress pin. It was something to remind me of the B-17 Alliance Foundation, Warbirds Over the West and that moment Ole and I shared over the Oregon skies. That small little memento… is now my trigger. It is the trigger of a once distant memory. It was a gesture I will never forget.
This one is for you.
